According to this story in the Los Angeles Times (and about a zillion other websites), Michael Lynche has been cut from the top 24 contestants of this year's version of American Idol. The ground for his dismissal is breach of contract. The breach allegedly occurred when Lynche's soon-to-be-estranged father confirmed rumors that his son had made the semi-final round. This a breach of the contestants' agreement that they will not divulge their fates on the show.

"Aww, come on!" I hear you type into your favorite blog, "Michael Lynche is awesome!!!" That may well be. I wouldn't know, as I don't watch the show. But one aspect of the report strikes me as very interesting. According to this report, the non-disclosure agreement binds not only the contestants, but also their families. Now how does the network manage that? I mean, if I ever did anything of which my family could be proud, what could I do to prevent my mother from reporting on the nachas? "So, you said he was a nichtgutkeit," I can hear her crow, "But now whose son is idle -- eh? Eh?"